Some Turks try to lynch Afghan man in Istanbul

A group of Turks on Monday attempted to lynch an Afghan man in Istanbul over the killing of a Turkish young man, local media reported.

The incident erupted at the funeral of 24-year-old Ramazan Sahin, who was stabbed to death on Sunday night during a brawl between Turkish residents and a group of Afghans and Syrians in Istanbul's Sultangazi district, the Hurriyet daily said.

Some youngsters in the neighborhood started to beat the Afghan with sticks, as hundreds of others were waiting for the funeral, the report said.

The riot police dispersed the crowd later by firing painted capsules to identify the perpetrators, Hurriyet said.

The brawl broke out reportedly after the group of foreigners heckled women in the neighborhood.

About 60 people from both sides were involved in the fight, Sahin's uncle Salih Arslan was quoted as saying.

"We condemn those who have filled their houses with Afghans and Syrians just to gain 10 or 20 Turkish liras more," said Arslan.

According to the residents, similar incidents were happening frequently but "nobody intervened in them."

Turkey is hosting millions of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Endit